


Meet and Potatoes

by Freya_the_Snake_Slayer



Series: Modus Homerandi [6]
Category: Stargate - All Media Types, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Action/Adventure, Awkwardness, F/M, Plot Twists, Rival Relationship, Short One Shot, Strategy & Tactics, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-04 16:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16350026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freya_the_Snake_Slayer/pseuds/Freya_the_Snake_Slayer
Summary: Sam finds herself the prey of a foe from her past (sort of..!)





	Meet and Potatoes

Her heart thumped hard against her rib cage. She took a few steps backwards until she was flush against the wall. She grabbed a cloth from her pants pocket and dabbed at the sweat on her brow. She peered around the corner to confirm her initial sighting. Unfortunately she’d been correct - it was definitely him. She felt a wave of anxiety flood her system. She couldn’t let him see her. The outcome would be catastrophic.  

Her only chance of survival was to find a more defensible position. Her military training told her to take higher ground. She glanced around. The entire area was a plateau! She’d have to bunker down somewhere until the danger had passed. She’d have to settle in for the long haul.

She took inventory of her supplies. She had enough food to last her for several days, but not enough drinking water. She needed to find a fresh supply to boost her stock - and by extension, her chances of survival. She closed her eyes and dove deep into her memory bank. Ah! Insects and animals needed water! If she could find an insect, bird or mammal, they might lead her to a fresh water supply. She searched her surroundings - there was honey, but no bees; there were birds, but they were all dead; there were mammals, but they were cut up into tiny pieces. 

This was going to be harder than she thought!

She scanned the landscape again. There it was, a clear sign. There was definitely water in the vicinity! She shook her head in disbelief - how had she missed it? She’d been feeling a bit off her game lately, but she needed to pull herself together. This was life or death. She crouched down as low as she could and ran.

She placed her hands on her knees and sucked in a few deep breaths. She remembered a time when she was a lot fitter. It seemed so long ago. She quickly regained her composure and straightened up. She cupped her hands together and reached for the water source. She eagerly gulped down the cold liquid and let a few droplets trickle down her chin. It tasted like natural spring water. She ran the back of her hand across her mouth. She’d have to decanter some of this for later.

She froze. She could hear him now. He was closing in on her position. For now, she still had the upper hand - he hadn’t seen her yet. She ducked behind a nearby wall and allowed herself a moment to relax. She slid to the floor. She was struggling to keep her eyes open. She was so tired. This was supposed to be a routine exercise. At the start of the day, she hadn’t imagined this situation. She rummaged through her bag and fished out a protein bar. She needed to keep her strength up if she was going to continue evading detection. She’d just rest for a second...

Oh no! She must have accidentally fallen asleep. She awoke with a gasp. It took her a moment to reacquaint herself with her surroundings and the situation. She rubbed at her eyes. When her vision returned, she saw him. He was only a few meters from her position. If she moved now, she’d be made. She tucked her legs into her body and tried her best to blend in. She watched in trepidation as he walked over to her location. He paused briefly in front of her sanctuary. She held her breath and cast her eyes to the floor. She heard him take a few tentative steps forward, before striding away with more urgency. She expelled an audible sigh.

That was too close!

She needed to call for reinforcements. She reached for her communication device. She punched at the buttons, but nothing happened. She held it to her ear, turned it in her hands, then gave it a little shake - she must be out of range! She ran a hand through her hair and closed her eyes. She’d have to rely on O’Neill’s instincts. They’d always had a harmonious relationship. He seemed to sense when she was in need. She liked to think of it as a superpower, rather than intuition. She focused all her concentration into transmitting a mental S.O.S. She hoped he would receive it.

She waited for a few minutes before pulling herself to her feet. She dusted off her pants and straightened out her shirt. She needed a sound strategy. She grabbed her belongings. Retracing her steps was the best course of action. He was likely working solo, so he'd be more focused on covering new ground then backtracking. She pivoted on the balls of her feet and walked back in the same direction.

She turned a corner and there he was. It was too late. He’d seen her. She frantically scanned the area for something to use as a provisional shield. She grabbed a sandbag and held it tightly against her body.

A ball of dread formed around her uvula and she tried to swallow it. He made his way towards her.

“Pete…”

“Sam! Wow!” He gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too, Pete.”

Pete stepped to one side of the aisle to let another shopper pass. He looked her up and down. “You look well. How have you been?”

Sam bit at her lower lip. “I’m doing really well, actually.”

He glanced around to check if she was alone.

“So…” he let the word linger in the air.

She could feel the tension bubbling up between them like molten lava.

“So…” she echoed.

“Are you free for dinner tonight?

Her eyes began to wander. “Umm...not exactly.”

Pete opened his mouth to speak, but his gaze shifted to an approaching body.

Jack walked towards them, thoughtfully reading the list of ingredients on a box of Fruit Loops. Apparently his senses had been out of range too. He looked at Sam, then shifted his attention to Pete.

His eyes narrowed as he mentally ran through his own facial recognition software. “Paul, right?”

The cop sneered. “No, Pete.”

Sam looked uncomfortably between her husband and her ex-fiance.

Jack threw Pete a scrutinizing look. “What brings you to Safeway in this neighbourhood...Pete?” He made no attempts at disguising the disdain in his voice.

“I’m working with the local police on a case,” his left eye winced, “You know how it his.”

Jack’s lips disappeared into a smirk. “Hmm,” he mumbled in agreement.

“Where's Jacob?" Sam enquired, looking at her husband.  
  
"He's just picking out a box of cereal."  
  
"Your Dad's here?" Questioned Pete.  
  
Sam grimaced. "No...."  
  
Jacob emerged from the next aisle carrying a bag of oats. When he noticed the new face, he dropped the packet and hid behind his Mother.  
  
He glanced up at Sam with unblinking eyes. "Mama?" They briefly flickered to Pete.  
  
There was no denying the boy's parentage. He had Sam's bright blue eyes and his father's unruly hair and tanned complexion.  
  
Sam swivelled slightly to bring Jake out from her shadow.  
  
"Jake, this is Pete. He's a...friend of Uncle Mark's."  
  
It felt like she'd taken a tranquilizer dart to their friendship. She'd deliberately glossed over the most important part, and that stung. He decided to set the record straight. He bent down to Jacob's level.  
  
"Actually Jake, your Mother and I used to..."  
  
Jacob backed into his father’s legs and Jack dropped a hand to rest on his chest.

"Ah..!” Jack raised a finger on his opposite hand, “Don't confuse the boy, Paul. The details aren't important."  
  
Pete didn’t bother to correct the retired General. He knew the man was only trying to antagonize him.

Sam nervously tucked an errand strand of hair behind her right ear. She shifted the weight between her feet so she could better balance the bag of rice.

“Carter, you shouldn’t be lifting that.” Jack reached for the giant sack and pried it from her grasp.

She offered some resistance to the removal of her impromptu body shield, but relented. Her hands fell to the swell of her belly and she self-consciously splayed her fingers in an effort to disguise the obvious mound.

A mixture of emotions flashed across Pete’s face as he watched her. He looked surprised, hurt and a little disgusted - as if somebody had inadvertently revealed the secret to his favourite magic trick.

His bottom jaw dropped, and he gestured to her stomach with the nod of his head.

“Mark never mentioned…” he stuttered, “So you’re…” He couldn’t bring himself to define Sam’s condition.

“...pregnant with our second child, yes,” Jack said, proudly finishing the younger man’s thought.

Sam felt her cheeks fill with colour and she flashed Pete an awkward smile.

“Umm...I better go pay for this stuff. The...ice cream's melting,” she gave Jack a knowing look before turning to Pete. “It was nice to see you. Jake, did you want to come with Mama?”

She lifted Jake into the trolley, before pushing it around the two men and making a mad dash for the registers. Jack waited for the squeak of the wheels to dissipate before turning back to his former rival.  

He placed a hand on Pete’s shoulder. “Looks like the best man won.”

“Looks like the older man won,” Pete mumbled.

Jack waited for the anger to swell up inside him, but found himself bursting with smug satisfaction instead. A grin spread across his mouth.

“Potato, potatoe.”


End file.
